One-stop surgery: evolving approach to pediatric outpatient surgery

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Surgery
• Outpatient Care Management
• Surgical Workflow Optimization

Background:

• Patient satisfaction is crucial in competitive outpatient surgery markets.
• Traditional outpatient surgery involves separate pre-operative and operative visits, increasing patient burden.
• A novel 'one-stop surgery' system was developed to streamline pediatric outpatient procedures.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the initial experience and feasibility of the one-stop surgery system for pediatric patients.
• To assess the impact of combining pre-operative evaluation and surgery into a single hospital visit.
• To determine the suitability of one-stop surgery for specific pediatric surgical procedures.

Main Methods:

• Pilot study included procedures like umbilical hernia repair, circumcision, and portacath removal.
• Patient selection based on medical information from referring physicians.
• Pre-operative screening, certification, and instructions provided to families.
• On the day of surgery, patients underwent surgeon evaluation and, if cleared, immediate surgical procedure.

Main Results:

• 51 out of 61 scheduled pediatric patients (83%) successfully completed their one-stop surgery.
• Procedures included umbilical hernia repair (n=23), circumcision (n=19), portacath removal (n=8), and inguinal hernia repair (n=1).
• No anesthetic contraindications were identified, and only one minor complication (wound hematoma) occurred.

Conclusions:

• The one-stop surgery method is effective for various outpatient pediatric surgical procedures with proper patient selection and team coordination.
• Integrating one-stop surgery with phone follow-up minimizes hospital visits for minor procedures.
• This system reduces patient/family inconvenience and can serve as a valuable marketing tool for pediatric surgical services.